I go for a walk every morning to keep fit. It’s my personal time to be alone with God. During this quiet time I can talk to the Lord and consider the magnitude and majesty of his name. Sometimes it almost takes my breath away. This morning I was reflecting on God’s glory and how wonderful it’ll be when I get to see God’s glory in heaven. You don’t believe heaven is real? God’s word, our Holy Bible, is to be read and understood literally unless it’s obvious God is speaking metaphorically or symbolically like in the book of Revelation. Heaven is mentioned in the Bible 582 times so I can assure you heaven is a real literal place. The Bible mentions God 4456 times, which is understandable since the Bible is all about God and the revelation of his son Jesus Christ. Remember, God wrote the Bible and there are no errors in it. God cannot lie.
Isaiah 43:11 – I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.
John 14:6 – (Jesus speaking) – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
1 Corinthians 8:6 – Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we are all things, and through Him we live.
God is an invisible all-powerful being who has always existed. Try wrapping your head around that! God resides on a spiritual plane totally separate from our physical plane; in a place called heaven. These two planes of existence are both real places and they converge in the human mind. Our brain is the nexus between the physical world and the spiritual world and our mind is the organ through we reach across the veil between the two planes of existence to worship God. God is self-contained and by that I mean God doesn’t need or require anything he can’t provide himself. God is not lonely. God doesn’t change. God is forever!
Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Malachi 3:6 – For I am the Lord, I do not change.
However, in eternity past God chose to create an innumerable number of angels (untold millions) to serve him and glorify his name. God knows exactly how many angels he created and he knows them all by the name he gave them just like God knows our name and he has since before he laid the foundation of the world. God knows you personally and he’s always got his eye on you. God made you out of the dust of the earth to serve him. We know how to serve God but how do we glorify his name? The dictionary defines glory as great fame or honor (respect) won by notable achievements. I would say God creating the heavens, the earth and man count as notable achievements for which we should show God respect (honor). In the biblical sense the word “glorify” means to praise and worship God. Worship in the biblical sense means to show deep respect and admiration for God.
Colossians 1:16 – For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Matthew 5:16 – (Jesus speaking) – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Isaiah 48:11 – And I will not give My glory to another.
Praise means to show respect and gratitude by some verbal action; in this case by singing songs or hymns to God or using your lips to proclaim respect and gratitude to God for what he has done. It’s impossible to praise God silently. In summary, to glorify God we must show him respect, gratitude and admiration for what he has done. What has God done for us? First, God has created us, both man and angel, out of nothing (or almost nothing). We have our existence, our being, through God and without God’s extended hand to uphold us even the very atoms of our bodies would fly apart and dissolve into nothing. Second, God has saved us to eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God has given us everything we’ll ever need. By his eternal power God is the glue holding the universe together and causing it to function with precision. How else can you explain the fact the universe moves in such perfectly synchronized motion; like a Swiss watch? How else can you explain the human body which is composed of thirty trillion highly specialized cells to create tissues, organs and body systems, all of which are needed for survival? Evolution is linear and cannot adequately explain the presence of man. Only God’s word gives us a feasible explanation for our existence.
Colossians 1:17 – And He is before all thing, and in Him all things consist.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Hebrews 2:10 – For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.
In heaven the angels are continually glorifying God through worship and the praise of their lips by the singing of songs and hymns. God created Lucifer as the number one angel in heaven responsible for leading all the other angels in the worship of God; to glorify God. God made Lucifer more beautiful and powerful than any of the other angels. He was the “Brilliant One”, the “Morning Star.” Lucifer was made perfect but because of his power and beauty he became prideful and sinned against God. Lucifer then led a third of the angels in heaven in a revolt against God. Lucifer was defeated and thrown to earth along will all the rest of the fallen angels we now call demons. Never again will God choose to make an angel as powerful as Lucifer, whom he renamed Satan after his fall from grace. Satan means “adversary.” God is omnipotent and has no adversary. God gave Satan his name because he’s our adversary; the adversary of man not God. Satan is working on our destruction every minute of the day and we better wise up to that fact. Satan strives mightily to keep man away from the truth of God and our salvation.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Ezekiel 28:17 – (Satan) Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.
1 Timothy 3:6 – Lest (a believer) being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
After the Lord made the angels he decided to make man in his image to serve and glorify God. God made man a little lower than the angels. The Spirit of God is eternal so when God gives us a part of himself at conception (our eternal spirit) we also become eternal beings. God created the heavens and the earth and put our spirit into physical bodies on this plane so that man might seek out his God and do good works to glorify God. With our free will to choose God or Satan comes a risk. If we seek out God and accept eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we will fellowship with Jesus in heaven forever as sons of God. We will have glorified God by our obedience in accepting his grace. If nonbelievers choose to serve Satan and not God then they grieve the God who made them. Choosing Satan will result in the nonbeliever abiding in his sins and going to hell for all eternity.
1 John 5:10 – He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself (the Holy Spirit); he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Galatians 1:4 – I am delivered from the power of darkness and I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.
God made us for his glory. Heaven and hell is all about glory, which is why the words glory or glorified appear 481 times in the Bible. The more you grieve God the deeper in hell you go. The more you please and glorify God the higher up in heaven you go. Glorifying God equates to building up riches in heaven; to receiving crowns and rewards in heaven on the last Day. Glory is the currency of heaven and as a believer you receive your wages (glory) by what you do on earth. What does God require you to do for your pay? You must seek out God and then acknowledge him. You must accept God’s saving grace through belief in his son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As a believer you must obey the commandments of God; number one of which is to witness the gospel of Christ and do other good works; all to the glory of God. What you need to realize is every time you save a lost soul God is glorified in heaven and your riches in heaven go up as a result. Salvation is by faith but riches in heaven come from the work you do here on earth working in God’s harvest field to save lost souls for the kingdom of God.
John 4:36 – Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
John 1:3 – All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Daniel 12:3 – And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Every believer glorifies the Lord when he accepts God’s saving grace so everyone in heaven will have some amount of glory coming to them. God also glorifies a person when they reap a lost soul for the kingdom of God through their witness for Christ. When we help save someone as the sower of the gospel seed or the reaper of that soul we build up treasure in heaven (glory). Every believer glorifies God by their other good works and by their obedience to his commandments and in return God will glorify man on the last Day when he stands before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ. It grieves God when man rejects his grace. The salvation of God is purchased by the shed blood of his dear son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who was crucified so that our sins could be forgiven. If a nonbeliever chooses Satan over God they have spit in God’s face. They will abide in their sins and be condemned to hell forever.
Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Matthew 4:19 – (Jesus speaking) – Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mark 1:17 – (Jesus speaking) – Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.
God made us for his glory. That’s the bottom line. You please God when you work his harvest field alongside him to save lost souls. There may not be actual levels in heaven but scripture is clear that believers receive treasure and riches in heaven on a sliding scale based on their good works here on earth. Gold, silver and precious stones are worthless in heaven so those reward levels indicate how many lost souls a believer has saved for the kingdom of God. They equate to privileges and crowns in heaven based on rank, honor and glory. God is reciprocal. If there are levels in heaven based on good works then there must be levels in hell based on bad works. Do you really think a run of the mill nonbeliever who doesn’t believe in God will receive the same punishment in hell as a Hitler, Stalin or Judas? Not a chance. We get some indication of this in the Bible when learn that the Lord has chained fallen angels in the bottom of the pit of hell because they are an abomination to God.
These were the angels God sent to early man and who then left their estate by taking on human form and sleeping with women. If fallen angels are chained in the pit now they’ll still be chained after final judgment. If Satan is to be chained up for one thousand years after the Second Coming of Jesus and released for a little while then he’ll also be chained up at the Great White Throne judgment for all eternity. Nonbelievers in hell won’t be chained up or God would have said so. This tells me we have different levels of punishment in hell; some chained and some not. Another place in the Bible says Judas Iscariot went to his own special place in hell for his betrayal of Jesus. This tells me Judas won’t be able to move about because he’ll be in chains. Judas may be the only man in history who will wind up chained in hell. The fact Judas will be all alone in hell tells me his condemnation will be greater than other men. God will inflict the worst possible punishment on him for his betrayal of Jesus Christ which led to the crucifixion of our Lord.
Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
2 Peter 2:4 – God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.
Jude 1:6 – And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
God is light! The glory of God the Father shines like intense sunlight. God is already at maximum glory so when we glorify God by our works on earth it’s like we’re shining a spotlight on something that’s already there. So how does that add to God’s glory? It doesn’t. Remember this spiritual truth about heaven, “you reap what you sow.” When believers sow glory to God through good works the Lord will hold onto that glory and give it back to us on the last Day. When we glorify God by our actions we’re actually building up our own treasure in heaven and pleasing God at the same time. Glory is the currency used in heaven and our glory is based on our good works here on earth. We have such a short time here on earth to earn our glory; seventy years if we’re lucky; and whatever wages we earn on earth will last forever. Man became an immortal being at conception and the most important time of our life is right now while we can still earn our wages. Don’t waste a minute of your time down here. Share the gospel of Christ with nonbelievers while you still can.
Ephesians 5:15-16 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
2 Corinthians 9:6 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
How does a believer go about earning his wages? You must seek God and acknowledge him. You must accept the grace of God though faith in his son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You must obey the commands of God, number one of which is to witness the gospel of Christ in order to save lost souls for the kingdom of God. Every time a believer sows the gospel seed that leads to salvation or reaps a soul for God the Lord is glorified and Jesus will return that glory to the believer on the last Day at the bema judgment seat. Other good works count in heaven as long as the believer has saved at least one soul for the kingdom of God. If a believer is not saving souls he can’t please God and all other good works are meaningless. They will be burned up on the last day as wood, straw and stubble. When believers save souls that equates to gold, silver and precious stones in heaven and those works won’t be burned up by the fire of God on the last Day. All believers will have to stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ on the last Day to receive their rewards for work done in the body here on earth. Salvation is by faith alone but if you want any treasure in heaven you must save at least one person by your witness for Christ so go save at least one more for Jesus.
Romans 4:4 – Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:14-15 – If anyone’s work which he has built on it (Jesus) endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss (no reward); but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
You would think that everyone on earth would be falling all over themselves searching for God and sharing the gospel of Christ. The truth of God is self-evident by what he has made (the universe, the earth and us). The Bible is everywhere in the world and it says plainly right there in God’s word what man is to do. So why isn’t this happening? Here’s the problem we have. God expelled Satan and his fallen angels (demons) from heaven after their failed rebellion. God imprisoned them all on earth. The fallen angels can’t leave the earth’s atmosphere so we’re stuck living with millions of powerful demons who hate our guts and seek to destroy us at every opportunity. Originally God gave Adam dominion over the earth but when Satan caused Adam to sin against God title to the earth passed to Satan. That’s why Satan is called the, “god of this world” and the “prince of the air.” Because Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden he lost his immortality and suffered physical death. Adam’s sin and physical death was imputed to all men who came after so we all bear the mark of Adam’s original sin in our bodies and we’ll all die physically. God came down from his throne in heaven and came to earth in the incarnation of Jesus Christ to redeem the earth and save man from eternal death through the blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.
Romans 4:8 – Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.
Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Do you remember the Bible story about the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor? Jesus took Peter, John and James up on the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying his personal appearance was changed into his glorified form. Light radiated from Jesus’ face and his clothing became dazzling white. Jesus allowed his disciples to behold him in his heavenly glory so they would gain a greater understanding who he was and as a testimony to all believers. Every believer in heaven will receive a glorified body just like the one Jesus has. Every believer in heaven will be able to radiate the glory of their salvation from their body. God will return to us the glory we gave him. That’s why the transformation God will make in us in heaven is called, “glorification.” Glorification is defined as , “the act of receiving glory”, and in the biblical sense it means receiving glory from God the Father.
Romans 8:30 – Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
In scripture God says he will not give his glory to another so where does the glory we receive from God come from? It’s not from God or angels so that leaves only us. God speaks plainly so our common sense should tell us the glory we receive is our own glory that God is storing up for us in heaven (our treasure) because of our good works done on earth. In the Bible angels always appear in white and radiate white light. In heaven man will be sons of God and judge angels so it’s obvious believers will rank above angels. We’ll also radiate glory like the angels. Every believer in heaven isn’t going to be running around glowing like a light bulb but we’ll be able to radiate our glory when we choose to do so. There will be no need for name tags or badges in heaven. Everyone will know everyone else by name and our glory level will be readily apparent to everyone we meet. If you’re a believer and a slacker on earth you’ll be on the bottom rung of heaven. Your work for the Lord will define who you are and what you do for all eternity.
Don’t worry when I repeat myself. Repetition is good. It’s a literary device God uses very effectively in his word and I’ve picked up on it in my writing. Repeating spiritual truths helps the mind accept them and believe them. Car advertisers understand this principle which is why we see the same car commercial over and over. If your mind hears the same car commercial fifty times it will eventually want you to buy that car. You’ve heard the saying, “garbage in garbage out.” Shield your mind from harmful things. Always feed your mind on the goodness, truth and wisdom of God’s word on a daily basis along with prayer and you’ll always have fellowship with God and the peace of God. Nothing is better than that.
Romans 4:5 – But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Corinthians 6:2 – In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
In heaven 90% of the saints will be there only through faith in Jesus Christ, never having saved even one lost soul for the kingdom of God through a witness for Christ. The wise believer will focus his efforts on doing the work of God by sharing the gospel and saving lost souls. The more souls saved the greater the glory to the saints who work God’s harvest field in order to save them. The primary reason God leaves us on earth after our salvation is so we can help save nonbelievers. The greater our glory for saving others the greater will be the radiance emanating from our glorified bodies on the last Day. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Daniel 12:3, because it states the ultimate goal God has for us. In the dictionary the word wise means to become aware of something. In the Bible wise means those who become aware of the gospel of Christ and then go out and share it with nonbelievers.
1 Corinthians 3:12-13 – Now if anyone builds on this foundation (Jesus Christ) with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it; because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
1 John 3:8 – He who sins is from the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
2 Corinthians 5:11 – Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
Daniel 12:3 says those who save souls will shine like the stars because of all the glory they will accumulate saving others. In the Bible angels are often referred as stars because they shine like stars. The above verse says some believers will shine as brightly as stars and angels. The key word of this verse is “many” which means a large number. In my mind “many” is one thousand saved souls. I need to save one thousand lost souls for the kingdom of God if I want to be in the top one percent of believers in heaven. Saving a thousand souls will be hard but not impossible. However, it’s virtually impossible for the layman witnessing for Christ to save that many souls one on one, unless you start young. You’ll probably need to leverage your witness like I’ve done if you want to save “many.”
I have reached thousands of people through my witness for Christ on my Christian blog site (onemoreforjesus.net). Every year I also distribute thousands of free Christian tracts and hundreds of Bibles to other godly men who witness on my behalf. You can go to my second website to read about it (christiantractministry.com). My ministry partners are all over the country and they are primarily prisons. Everyone needs to leverage their witness for Christ in a way that works for them. The important thing is to do something for God; anything! Take the first step. Plan your work and then go work your plan with perseverance! Godspeed!